Though snowmobilers come from all walks of life, I would argue that they share a unique camaraderie. My husband and his friends can talk endlessly about their machines, the trails they have ridden, the trips they have taken, and the times they have broken down. I have seen him make instant friends with people just by learning they like to snowmobile. Every conversation is a story, and every story is an adventure.
Locally, there are a lot of opportunities to make those adventures happen, especially with a trail system that is maintained, repaired, and rebuilt by groups of volunteers who care deeply about keeping winter open for everyone.
Founded in 1985 and run strictly by volunteers, the Two Harbors Voyageur Snowmobile Club has been doing that work on the trails for more than forty years. Today, the club has about 115 members who handle everything from brushing and grooming to equipment repair and the behind-the-scenes administration that keeps the whole system moving.
“I have a lot of admiration for the way the volunteers go out there and work on these trails and build bridges and work on equipment,” said Gordy Anderson, longtime administrator for the club. “It doesn’t make any difference what the temperature is. We always want to make sure we’re doing it the right way so it’s safe and user-friendly for riders, locals, and visitors. It just doesn’t happen by itself. There’s a whole team behind the process.”
Anderson explained that many of the members are retired and each brings their own talents to contribute to the club.
“They bring skills and things to the club from what they did for their careers,” he said. “If you’re a welder, then when it comes time to weld up some equipment or some metal for a bridge, these are the people that bring those skills.”
The club maintains over 85 miles of trail, from Two Harbors to Isabella, including three groomers they operate themselves and contracted grooming on the Gooseberry Spur. Over the years, they have expanded the system to include a second route into the Two Harbors business community, built a new equipment building, and even added a fuel station for riders and the public.
The landscape they maintain is as varied as anything in northeastern Minnesota.
“Lots of different terrain and a lot of just getting to and from areas to work on is a challenge,” said Anderson. “In the middle of the summertime, it’s probably a standing swamp. In the winter, when it freezes over, then you can just drive right over with the snowmobile.”
There is much brush cutting work to be done, and when the wind knocks down trees, especially all that annoying dead balsam in the area, they can put a huge damper on a snowmobile adventure.
“If you get a big tree down, you shut the trail down until somebody removes it,” said Anderson.
The trail maintenance includes bridge work and lots of it. The trail system currently includes 44 bridges, and the club has built or replaced ten over the past five years.
Summer grading is essential, and access often depends on frozen ground or makeshift timber roads. As Gordy puts it, “the trails are cut right through the wilderness.”
The 2024 flood was a reminder of how quickly the landscape can change.
“We had just kind of redone the bridge, and then we got the floods,” recalled Anderson. “It took the bridge a couple hundred feet down the creek. Those little tributaries turn into a little river when you get flooding, and whatever’s in the way will take its toll.”
Photos from the club show gravel rigs, hauling crews, and finished spans that keep the system connected. The work is supported by the DNR and US Forestry, but it is the volunteers who make it happen.
The club works closely with neighboring clubs, such as the Pequaywan Area Trail Blazers. Members attend each other’s events, team up for a summer fundraising raffle, and share equipment when needed.
“If they were in need of some equipment that we had, just by asking, we would help,” Anderson said. “We’re all trying to get the same thing accomplished.”
The non-profit also invests in the next generation of riders. Each year, volunteers run Snowmobile Safety Training classes for 20 to 30 kids ages 11 and up. It is one more piece of the work that keeps the sport alive and safe for generations to come.
Funding for maintenance and programs is its own challenge. The club signs an agreement with the DNR each year to maintain the trails, which helps with costs for equipment and fuel. Fundraisers fill in the gaps. The annual dinner in March, which features a silent auction, is one of their biggest events of the year. They raffle off a snowmobile each winter, and the American Legion has partnered with them for several years to host the dinner.
“The community really steps up,” Anderson said, later mentioning that the cost of grooming equipment starts around $200,000. “It just doesn’t happen without people stepping up.”
One of the club’s lesser-known revenue sources sits five miles north of Two Harbors on Highway 2, an area locals will know.
“We’re open there 24/7. It’s self-serve and we’ve got ample parking,” said Anderson. “We try to generate a few dollars to take care of our expenses and provide free parking.”
For those interested in joining the Two Harbors Voyageur Snowmobile Club, Anderson said everyone is welcome. You do not have to be a local. You do not even have to ride.
Anderson laughed a little when he explained that he had sold his snowmobile but still enjoys being part of the club and the community it brings.
“I don’t even own a snowmobile,” he said. “I just like to help them out with writing grants and keeping things in order and non-profit status.”
Applications are available on the club’s website. Individual and family memberships are 40 dollars a year and include Minnesota United Snowmobile Association benefits. Business associate memberships are 125 dollars, with additional donations welcomed and recognized.
For a club built entirely on volunteer labor, every new member matters. Every hour matters. Every trail cleared, every bridge rebuilt, every kid trained, every dollar raised. It all adds up to the same thing: a north shore winter landscape that stays open, safe, and ready for anyone who wants to ride.
Anderson would like to remind folks that there are several ways to support the local club, outside of becoming a member, including:
-Taking part in numerous fundraising events and raffles.
-Stopping for gas (snowmobile and on-road vehicle fuel available) at the clubhouse on Hwy 2.
-Attend the annual dinner/fundraiser on March 21 for fun/food and great auction items.
-Let a club member know you would be willing to assist in trail projects.
-Stay on the trails and be safe.
Visit www.voyageursnowmobile.com to apply for membership, view resources and trail conditions, and learn more about the Two Harbors Voyageur Snowmobile Club.
